Craft Beer Seal !!!!

[Ikari]

I think the innovation you want will still happen,...

As far as I'm concerned, this is a measured system. How long was America dominated by the mega-brewery? Even before the huge Mega-Corp got involved? When it was Miller and Anheiser Bush and such? How many decades was it just Miller Lite, Bud Lite, and the uninspired, lowest common denominator American Piss Beer? It wasn't until the Craft Revolution that things started to turn around and we began to see there was more to beer than just the rice-adjunct swill we've been swallowing for generations.

So right now the Mega-Corp pays some form of homage to the Craft Industry because that's the market that's growing. But they still stifle innovation over the breweries they purchase, and if they could ever get enough control they'd stifle innovation on the whole of it, min/max everything to some standardized process with low quality ingredients and just look to pump out as many gallons as possible. This is how it went in the past, and will again should there not remain enough independence to keep the market progressing.

I don't completely boycott the Mega-Corps, but I do my best to buy local, and to buy independent predominately.

 

[PoS]

Not a fan of flying dog

My respect for you just evaporated.

 

[Dragonfly]

and to buy independent predominately.

Which comes back to this symbol possibly being a little bit of help.

 

[ReverendHellh0und]

My respect for you just evaporated.

I much prefer magnify, kane, carton, brix city, etc.


Flying dog gets too wierd at times.

 

[Ikari]

I much prefer magnify, kane, carton, brix city, etc.


Flying dog gets too wierd at times.

When I was living in New Jersey for a few years, I did get to drink Carton. I really liked them, I thought they would develop well. They even had some examples of sours that were...decent. The sour beers really haven't (or at least by the time I had left) hit on the East Coast, so I didn't expect the fully developed sour complexity. But Carton was at least making the effort to expand and push new styles.

 

[ReverendHellh0und]

When I was living in New Jersey for a few years, I did get to drink Carton. I really liked them, I thought they would develop well. They even had some examples of sours that were...decent. The sour beers really haven't (or at least by the time I had left) hit on the East Coast, so I didn't expect the fully developed sour complexity. But Carton was at least making the effort to expand and push new styles.

Auggie has always been a little different. they make a great beer, thier unjunct stout is phenomenal.


stout season is almost upon us.

 

[Dragonfly]

stout season is almost upon us.

I have a 4 pack of this in my fridge. Just waiting for the first weekend with temps in the 30's.

 

[OlNate]

As far as I'm concerned, this is a measured system. How long was America dominated by the mega-brewery? Even before the huge Mega-Corp got involved? When it was Miller and Anheiser Bush and such? How many decades was it just Miller Lite, Bud Lite, and the uninspired, lowest common denominator American Piss Beer? It wasn't until the Craft Revolution that things started to turn around and we began to see there was more to beer than just the rice-adjunct swill we've been swallowing for generations.

So right now the Mega-Corp pays some form of homage to the Craft Industry because that's the market that's growing. But they still stifle innovation over the breweries they purchase, and if they could ever get enough control they'd stifle innovation on the whole of it, min/max everything to some standardized process with low quality ingredients and just look to pump out as many gallons as possible. This is how it went in the past, and will again should there not remain enough independence to keep the market progressing.

I don't completely boycott the Mega-Corps, but I do my best to buy local, and to buy independent predominately.

I think they would do whatever is profitable. Right now consumers are looking for more variety, which is why they are going in that direction. You would probably be surprised how important consumer response is to these companies. Yes, attempts will be made to standardize, procurement practices will be used to drive down cost, that's normal. But if they have a winning formula, they will use it until the market no longer supports it, and that means ensuring consistency of flavor.

Again, the innovation comes when the folks who dreamed up the beer in the first place use the money they make from selling their company to develop in new directions - at least, that's what the smart ones will do. I think one way to help this along is start acknowledging brew masters more than their products. If a brew master perfects a product and sells it to a big guy to finance their next project, we could have the best of both worlds - great beers being created by recognized brew masters, sold to companies that can make it accessible to everyone at a national or international level, while the profits of that sale fund the next venture.

And that doesn't mean you won't still have small, regional breweries, creating the weird one offs. If you need your blueberry tabasco stout, I'm sure there will be someone locally to make it for you for a month, then switch to a gooseberry lasagna lager the next month, as these guys sometimes do. That's not a niche the big guys are interested in. I'm a fan of the brewery pubs when I want that stuff...it's another great business model for the folks that want to stay small that I think we should see more of.

The reality is, a lot of the breweries being bought by the giants are really just smaller versions of them. They are in it to make money, and the evidence is that they made the decision to sell.

 

[<alt>doxygen]

What's the difference? I mean, if you want to support smaller breweries, I get it, but having worked for AB-InBev, I can tell you the reason they buy these places is because they think they are doing a good job...they aren't going to buy something that's working well and change the taste profile so it starts to bomb, they want to be profitable. That bottle of "craft" beer is going to taste the same after as it did before...if it's merely a "this beer is going to taste different because it's made by a big company", you might be worried about nothing.

Again, understand wanting to support small breweries, that's a different thing, and the distribution system is definitely tailored to be in beneficial to the big guys, and I think that's a problem...but if you liked a beer before it was bought out, I don't think you need to lament that you'll never get that taste again. "Craft" brewing is a great marketing term, but making beer hasn't changed much over time...only the tank sizes and recipes have changed, but that's a decision that can be made to suit the market...if people are leaning towards a certain taste profile, then the market will adapt. I think that's the reason AB-InBev are buying up so many "craft" beer companies - they get that people are suddenly interested in a wide range of flavor profiles.

I go by taste, but this stuff also happens. It's false advertising, even if they manage to mimic the water ph and everything else:
Court Rules Drinkers Tricked. Beck's Isn't German - Beer Street Journal

 

[<alt>doxygen]

Yeah, they started in CO, but ended up on the East Coast. It's OK though, I think Flying Dog is still excellent. But at least they're still independent. One of my favorite breweries, Lagunitas, sold out to Heineken.

I like a couple of their beers quite a bit. Hop Stoopid and lil' Sumpin' (sp?) in particular. Have you noticed any degradation/change since the buyout? I have a bomber of Hop Stoopid in the fridge, lol.

 

[OlNate]

I go by taste, but this stuff also happens. It's false advertising, even if they manage to mimic the water ph and everything else:
Court Rules Drinkers Tricked. Beck's Isn't German - Beer Street Journal

Lol...it's true, and it happens from time to time - they get greedy on the marketing front.

Up here we have a beer called Kokanee...it's a pretty good beer, nothing too challenging, a bit on the sweet side, but it was hugely popular. It was made in a small brewery in Creston, BC, up in the mountains, you know the deal. Labatt bought it (before they were bought by InBev, I believe), and brought a big chunk of the production to Ontario. They kept marketing it as BC Mountain beer, and it did really well, until Molson made it very publicly known that it was made in London, Ontario...basically killed the brand. Still good beer, before and after...but perception changed, and that's all it takes.

 

[ReverendHellh0und]

I like a couple of their beers quite a bit. Hop Stoopid and lil' Sumpin' (sp?) in particular. Have you noticed any degradation/change since the buyout? I have a bomber of Hop Stoopid in the fridge, lol.

You wont notice until they have to start re-ordering ingredients and then sometime down the line when a bean counter notices.

 

[Ikari]

I have a 4 pack of this in my fridge. Just waiting for the first weekend with temps in the 30's.

Founders does not ship out to Colorado apparently, but their Breakfast Stout is one of the best stouts of all time.

 

[Dragonfly]

Founders does not ship out to Colorado apparently, but their Breakfast Stout is one of the best stouts of all time.

I've not had it yet either. Delaware just started getting Founders within the last calendar year.
This stout is seasonal too. Sep-Dec I think.

I'll let you know how good it is. :mrgreen:
Just waiting for the right time to try it. We've been unusually warm here the last few weeks.

 

[humbolt]

And here I thought this was a thread about a seal drinking craft beer.